Iran begins 40-day national mourning after supreme leader Khamenei gets killed in US-Israel strike

Iran has formally begun a 40-day period of national mourning following the confirmed death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, state media reported on March 1. Khamenei was killed in what Iranian officials described as ongoing airstrikes by the United States and Israel that have continued since Feb 27, according to state television and local news agencies.

The nation’s President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killing as “a great crime” and announced in addition to the 40-day mourning period, seven days of public holidays to honour the late leader.

According to a CNN report, Iran’s defence minister and the chief of staff of the armed forces, Lt. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, were among those killed.

People poured into the streets of Tehran, many visibly emotional, as state media broadcast scenes of mourning at public squares and religious sites.

Footage released by Iranian state television showed crowds grieving at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad and other cities, with supporters participating in spontaneous gatherings amid the unfolding crisis.

Protests also broke out beyond Iran’s borders. In Iraq, authorities declared three days of public mourning and demonstrators gathered in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where clashes reportedly occurred between protesters and security forces.

The death of Khamenei — who led Iran since 1989 and held ultimate authority over the country’s political, military, and religious institutions — marks a dramatic moment in the longstanding conflict between Tehran and the United States and Israel.